What's in the news?

[RedEve]

It isn't exactly uncommon for this to happen. Like openly homophobic people who secretly have a gay relationship.
There is a certain subset of conservatives for whom self-loathing is the fuel that feeds their bigotry.

[Oniya]

Where does McSally sit on the right-wing spectrum? Is she New Party Trump-aligned, old-guard conservative, something else?

Somewhere left of Arpaio and Ward (not that this says a lot).  This is also simply the election that determined the (R) name on the ballot. 

I don't know the guy at all, never heard of his name afaik. Is it possible he didn't notice the person wasn't cis?

Alex Jones?  He's the guy who runs InfoWars.  Among his other claims to 'fame' are his rants about how 9/11 and school shootings have all been staged by the government so that they can 'come take your guns'.  His viewers have even harassed parents of school-shooting victims over this.

[LisztesFerenc]

In somewhat better news, the Republican Senate race in Arizona has selected Martha McSally over former Maricopa Country Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former state senator Kelli Ward - the latter of which actually suggested that John McCain's announcement that he was ending his cancer treatment was timed to take attention away from her campaign.

  She said "I think they wanted to have a particular narrative that they hope is negative to me."

  Well, critisizing a man with terminal brain cancer as attention seeking is a negative nerrative, but she did that all herself.

[Rinzler]

Nope. The actress makes it very very VERY clear. Especially since most of her stuff is pre op stuff. Hard to watch her vids and not see a dick flop about.

Watch Alex Jones' stuff and you get to see an even bigger dick flop about.

[RedPhoenix]

Where does McSally sit on the right-wing spectrum? Is she New Party Trump-aligned, old-guard conservative, something else?

She's a neocon who's trying to rebrand herself to appear more Trump friendly.

Somewhere left of Arpaio and Ward (not that this says a lot).

I mean, not really on the issues she'll actually be voting on. Ward and Guilty Joe just have a bunch of crazy bullcrap they believe on top of it. They're all super right wing.

[Valerian]

Some analysts are saying it's unfortunate that McSally got the nomination, because of all the options she's the only one likely to hoodwink someone more middle of the road into voting for her instead of the Democratic candidate.  :/

[Orval Wintermute]

http://uk.businessinsider.com/labour-mp-frank-field-resigns-whip-labelling-jeremy-corbyns-party-racist-2018-8
Frank Field has been a member of the Labour party for over 50 years and an MP for almost 40 years. So leaving the party after that length of time is extraordinary, it shows the level of dysfunction in UK politics that someone who is regarded as principled and honest even by people who don't share his principles is forced out of his political home by bullies and thugs from the anti-Semitic extreme left-wing.

[Skynet]

New court documents reveal the hatred and contempt ICE officers have for immigrants and asylum-seekers

In new court documents – released as part of state litigation against the Trump administration for breaking up these families – the voices of traumatized parents are front and center. In declarations made under penalty of perjury, the parents describe the anguish of having their children snatched away by the U.S. government, as well as sadistic behavior of the immigration officers who seem to mock and berate them.

As described in the testimonials, migrant mistreatment extended beyond separation – including detention facilities so cold they were referred to as “iceboxes,” bleach-tainted drinking water that burned asylum-seekers’ throats and still-frozen food that made them vomit.

Some choice quotes:

Backstory: The 31-year-old mother fled domestic abuse with her then seven-year-old daughter.
Testimony:" On May 10, 2018, the day after our arrest, Officers came into the room and told me that they intended to take my daughter away from me… Most devastating of all, the Officers said I would never see my daughter again. When the Officers told me this, I felt like collapsing and dying. I cannot express the pain and fear I felt at that point. My daughter was only seven years old and she was much too young to be taken from me.

“When I asked why, the Officers said that I had ‘endangered’ her by bringing her here… During this same conversation one of the officers asked me ‘In Guatemala do they celebrate mother’s day?’ When I answered yes he said, ‘Then Happy Mother’s Day,’ because the next Sunday was Mother’s day. I lowered my head so that my daughter would not see the tears forming in my eyes. That particular act of cruelty astonished me then as it does now. I could not understand why they hated me so much, or wanted to hurt me so much.

Backstory: “I am afraid of returning to my country, because my cousin will kill me and my children. I caught him raping his step-daughter. He is a drug trafficker and he has killed more than 45 people. He told me, in writing with a note on my door, that he is going to dismember me. He has threatened my children as well. We had to flee….The police in my country cannot do anything to protect us.”

Testimony: “When I first spoke with ICE officers, they told us, ‘Why did you come from your country?’, ‘Don’t you know that we hate you people?’, ‘We don’t want you in our country.’

“My two children… fled with me and came in with me… They separated them from me, and they took me to court, where they condemned me as a criminal. No one asked me if I was afraid to return to my country or why I fled… There was no opportunity for me to say goodbye to my children. When I came back to the “dog kennel” (perrera), where we were being held, my boys weren’t there anymore… I didn’t know where they were…

“I am seeking refuge in the USA. We are being treated like criminals in chains and everything. I’m just seeking refuge.”

Backstory: “I am a single mother. I received death threats and was afraid they would take my son in Honduras. That is why I decided to come with my son to the United States.”
Testimony: “When we arrived to the United States on May 18, the officers said… when would we stop coming? [and] that it would be better if a bomb were set off in our countries…. From there, my son Jelsin and I were separated. I was not told where he was being taken. They only told me he would be a ward of the state…. On the first day in the ‘icebox,’ they took me out to have my photo taken. I did not expect to see my son but they also brought him out so we could take a photo together… But they did not allow me to talk to him or hug him… That is the last time I saw my son.

While I was in the icebox, I was able to talk to an officer and I told him that I was afraid of returning to Honduras for the reasons I have stated. He told me I was going to be deported without my son. He told me I would be able to ask for my son 45 days after arriving in Honduras. Upon hearing this, I knelt down crying. The officer only laughed.”

[Oniya]

ER actress Vanessa Marquez was shot and killed by police.

They had been called in on a welfare check.  The actress, who suffered from seizure disorders and mental health issues, was reportedly 'combative', and had a BB gun.

[Shekinah]

ER actress Vanessa Marquez was shot and killed by police.

They had been called in on a welfare check.  The actress, who suffered from seizure disorders and mental health issues, was reportedly 'combative', and had a BB gun.

urgh I'm just well conflicted about it. I mean I can understand why the police officers didn't take a chance when they saw her pulling out a weapon. It's just why do they always have to go for shots towards the chest. If they were to shoot someone like that in the shoulder or leg, wouldn't that disable the person just the same and lead to less fatalities? After all they knew the woman was having mental issues, so in this case it's a sort of suicide by cop. Why help them and shoot in the chest all the time. As I said, I understand why they don't take a chance when seeing a weapon, after all if it were real, their lives could be threatened. It's just they do undergo shooting tests regularly no? so shouldn't they be able to hit a shoulder or leg or arm?

[Sara Nilsson]

Always shoot center mass, hitting someone in the leg or so is a lot harder than it looks like on TV. By training again and again to always hit center mass (the largest target) the police have the biggest hit chance for when their live is in danger. Also hitting someone in say the leg isn't "oh hit in the leg, i am going to lay down" plenty of places in the leg that will kill you. We have a major blood vessel there after all.

Yes in some cases the police can aim for another body part, but that is usually done by a sniper who isn't in direct danger. So he/she can be a lot calmer about the whole thing over the officer that is now risking someone turning the gun on them and shooting them.

[Iniquitous]

urgh I'm just well conflicted about it. I mean I can understand why the police officers didn't take a chance when they saw her pulling out a weapon. It's just why do they always have to go for shots towards the chest. If they were to shoot someone like that in the shoulder or leg, wouldn't that disable the person just the same and lead to less fatalities? After all they knew the woman was having mental issues, so in this case it's a sort of suicide by cop. Why help them and shoot in the chest all the time. As I said, I understand why they don't take a chance when seeing a weapon, after all if it were real, their lives could be threatened. It's just they do undergo shooting tests regularly no? so shouldn't they be able to hit a shoulder or leg or arm?

Because a gun is a weapon to kill with.  They are trained to shoot to kill, not shoot to wound.  They are trained to aim for the largest mass - which is the torso.  You never pull a weapon on someone unless you are wiling to kill them. 

[Beguile's Mistress]

Even in the split second it would take to move the aim from chest to shoulder the actor (or criminal) has an advantage.  Also, people who are under the influence of drugs don't always feel the hit when shot in the arm or leg and keep on coming.  This is why the often need to be tasered three or four times.

Do you take the chance of leaving the person with the ability to use the gun or weapon still in their hand or just take the actor and the weapon out of the equation?

I know police officers and it is a difficult choice they have to make.

[Ket]

appeared to be “gravely disabled” when officers first made contact with her.

I'd like to know who said gravely disabled. Because a gravely disabled person isn't going to point a gun. And if she was having seizures and was post-ictal, then she was probably combative because she was confused as all get out. (epileptic here)

If they thought the scene was that volatile, why was there an LA county mental health clinician there? If the scene was dangerous, it would need to be cleared before any non-police persons were allowed in.

I call bullshit on this whole thing. American police are entirely too ready to pull a firearm on someone when there are a plethora of other ways to diffuse a situation.

[Lustful Bride]

Nicaragua responds harshly to UN Team's investigation and reports.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/nicaragua-to-expel-un-team-after-critical-report/ar-BBMI23V?ocid=spartanntp

[Beorning]

Here's something that shocked me yesterday:

https://www.facebook.com/osrodek.monitorowania/videos/335817920486666/

What you see is a video made by two Christian street evangelists (I don't know their denomination, or if they even belong to any mainstream one). On that day, while preaching, a man nearby succumbed to an attack of epilepsy. So, the evangelists ran up to him and... started, basically, exorcising him. Instead of giving the man proper medical assistance.

Even worse, the man was being helped by a female officer from a Town Guard (a kind of auxillary security / public order service many towns here have). But these evangelists started to disrupt her efforts with their loud praying, trying to make her go away, as well as trying to convince the onlookers that the officer didn't know what she was doing...

I don't know. Words fail me...

[TheVillain]

Here's something that shocked me yesterday:

https://www.facebook.com/osrodek.monitorowania/videos/335817920486666/

What you see is a video made by two Christian street evangelists (I don't know their denomination, or if they even belong to any mainstream one). On that day, while preaching, a man nearby succumbed to an attack of epilepsy. So, the evangelists ran up to him and... started, basically, exorcising him. Instead of giving the man proper medical assistance.

Even worse, the man was being helped by a female officer from a Town Guard (a kind of auxillary security / public order service many towns here have). But these evangelists started to disrupt her efforts with their loud praying, trying to make her go away, as well as trying to convince the onlookers that the officer didn't know what she was doing...

I don't know. Words fail me...

I have a few words I can say, actually.

"Guys, you can rejoin The Real World at any time."

[Beorning]

I have a few words I can say, actually.

"Guys, you can rejoin The Real World at any time."

I wish you guys spoke the language, because the whole scene is... surreal. There's this man in epileptic spasms, an officer trying to secure him - and these two people, laying hands and praying:

"Kore mashore! Kore mashiya!

*

Is it some language, Hebrew perhaps? Or is she just babbling? I honestly don't know...

In the name of Jesus, with the natural breath - get out! Get out, I said! Kele rebe shere! Don't be alarmed, people - it needs to leave him! Hallelujah, Father! Your glory Father, here in this place! Holy Spirit, act now! Total freedom for this man![/i]"

Specifically, it's mostly the woman that's praying. Meanwhile, the guy that's with her either argues with the officer, or talks to the onlookers: "People, can you see that? She doesn't know what to do! She doesn't know how to help him! She's not prepared at all!"

In the final moments of the video, you can see these two people approached by some onlooker, who says that she's a very strong believer herself and actually compliments them. She also says that she agrees with their assessment of the situation, but that they shouldn't try to convince the officer, because she just wouldn't believe... And the evangelists cheerfully agree with her: "It *was* a demonic manifestation!"

The saddest thing? In the comments on FB, you can see one or two people actually supporting these evangelists, too...

[Oniya]

Back when I was in college, I had the unique opportunity to visit a Pentecostal religious meeting.  I mention this specifically because they put a lot of emphasis on 'speaking in tongues', and 'being visited by the [Holy] Spirit.'  They're one of the better known evangelical groups that don't have mega-church TV shows. 

I tried Googling the words she said, out of curiosity, and didn't come up with much - although the first phrase had one link that looked like it was in the Cyrillic alphabet, and connected to what looked like an academic paper about - Macedonia?  More inclined to believe that she was 'speaking in tongues', which isn't often connected with actual language. 

The attribution of the seizure to demonic activity is also connected to Charismatics - which is an extension of Pentecostalism (specifically, the use of 'divine gifts) into other branches of Christianity.

[Beorning]

You know, I think you may actually be right! Based on the comments under the video, these people belong to a small, non-Catholic church. I looked up this church's FB page and they classify themselves as a "Full Gospel Church" - and such churches seem to be a branch of Pentecostalism.

Interesting. So, this is what "speaking in tongues" actually looks like? Hmmm.

[RedRose]

Urgh. I want to respect all beliefs because I want mine respected too… But HEALTH trumps all, isn't that one of the main ones, not to kill/preserve life?? I know of extremely religious professors and doctors, they do NOT "chant" around the sick and certainly use modern medicine.

I've thought broken Hebrew too. Mashiach is Messiah. Raba is a lot. Kore is read… but again those words exist in other languages too, like kore is Japanese for not sure what and isn't that Greek too?? Girl??

[TheVillain]

I prefer to think of it as that technically you don't have to respect all beliefs so much as respect people's ability to believe. If they're not hurting anyone you should leave them alone but at no point do you lose the right to say 'that's just stupid, let me know when you're ready to join the adult table so I can take you seriously'.

[Oniya]

Interesting. So, this is what "speaking in tongues" actually looks like? Hmmm.

It varies to some extent, but it seems about right.  The people I saw didn't sound quite as coherent.

[Beorning]

Thanks!

While on the topic of things caught in Poland on camera:

https://twitter.com/wolne_media_pl/status/1035990674292846599

Explanation: yesterday, the Polish president had one of his public speeches (because it was the anniversary of WW2's beginning, as well as the Veteran Day). Nearby, a group of protesters were chanting "Constitution!". Suddenly, an employee of one of local PiS politicians walked over to one of the protesters, shouted "Shut up, stupid cow!" and... slapped her.

The employee was fired today, but... ugh.

[Lustful Bride]

Fire engulfs museum, destroying many relics as firefighters rush to save what they can.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/firefighters-try-to-save-relics-as-fire-engulfs-rio-museum/ar-BBMNmA7?ocid=spartanntp

This is a tragedy the voices of great thinkers and artists, diminished, as pieces of history are lost forever.